chocolate festival + life goals

i checked IG this morning and my eyes were immediately drawn to this comment:

reading that blessed me in a major way.  even though my IG account is mostly a combo of fitness inspiration, food, relevant funny memes, and a lil bit of family, i never want to lose sight of the BIG picture, which is pointing souls toward Christ and being a light for Him via my lifestyle.  He is apart of everything i do.  and if he isn't, i want no part of it.  my account did not start out this way though.  i used to follow the big 'fitspo' pages until they became oversexualized and promoting everything but fitness.  seems like Likes and praise from man outweigh His approval more and more these days but i refuse to compromise my faith...anymore. i have deleted many a picture because it made me uneasy and didn't sit well with my spirit.  which means it didn't sit well with Him either!  at this point in my life, i simply want what He wants.  if that means letting go of those IG pages that stunt my spiritual growth, so be it. done.  IDK how in the world i found Heather Lindsey but she has been a blessing ever since that fateful day.  whew! she inspires me daily as a woman, wife, and mother and has such an inspiring testimony.  if you aren't already following her, #youremissingout!

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relationship goals!!!

i found this on Instagram somewhere and i thought it was the cutest thing ever.  it reminded me of my parents actually. my mom is a few inches taller than my dad so they'd have to switch though, hahahaha!  this could be Sonny and i, but the amount of time i spend in any grocery store annoys him (it's an experience. hello.) and i'd never come out with just 5 items. even at Sam's.

happy sunday family funday to you! #bestpicofthebunch

speaking of grocery shopping, we took a trip to the best store eva after church today, Central Market.  the Chocolate Festival is currently going on until the 17th of this month, guys! i believe we have gone for the past 4 or 5 years now.

we strolled right on up as these guys were being served. salty, sweet PERFECTION! i grabbed a recipe card immediately.  you bet i'm gonna make a heathified version of these puppies.

here's the original version though.

we grabbed lunch inside before heading out to the patio to enjoy the live band.  Chiso is unbelievably picky and wasn't interested in anything CM had to offer. well, besides candy of course, which was not happening. so, he had a banana and some plantain chips for the time being and i made him some pizza when we got home.

i attacked the salad bar and seriously got like one scoop of everything!

we hope you had a sweet V-Day weekend ;)

Q: what's your fave chocolate covered treat?

A: raisins!

le

small group host + BE conference time again

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 bwhahahahahaha!  i cracked UP at that meme and immediately sent it to my brother. he understands my humor like nobody else.  get it?? happy first day of FALL, yall!

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in the studio extra early waiting for my coffee to kick in and ready to teach some HIIT.  i usually wear my Lifetime jacket to feel cool but i needed it this morning. the weather was fantastic at the crack of dawn; the exact opposite of humid and stuffy.

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afterwards i did about 10 min of steady state cardio on the arc trainer (cause i got cold again after class) before hitting the weights for some upper body work.  bring on the leggings, yoga pants, and all things pumpkin!  i was sipping on the last of my coffee spiked with International Delight's fat-free Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer on my way home.

later that evening, i had the pleasure of hosting my very first small group.  yep, comfort zone aborted.  joining one, sure, ok. hosting one? me? no way.  i remember signing up for it several weeks back, but only up until a few days ago did i realize the magnitude of what i had done. people really were signing up to come, and they were actually coming.  whoa.  the food responsibilities fall on the host, and well, i was SUPER excited about that part, you already know. i had to sincerely pray about keeping the whole point of the small group and our curriculum as the main focus though, not the food!  don't get me wrong, the food needed to be on point, but ensuring our meeting was well facilitated from beginning to end was just as important.

thank God, it went WELL!  excited to meet again next week.

so, here's what we munched on:

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fresh fruit salad with blackberries, strawberries, and nectarines,

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i got all the ingredients needed to make my kopy kate Central Market Cranberry Pepita Kale Salad and did just that.

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yummers.

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next, Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships made with 93% lean ground turkey, smoky chipotle cheese, and turkey pepperoni.

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voila.

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homemade guac and butternut squash tortilla chips,

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and finally, i cut up and toasted some naan bread to be dipped into the hummus or the guac.

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here's my plate! got a little bit of everything like always.

remember last year's BE conference!? well it's that time AGAIN! the opening ceremony kicks off tomorrow and Ogechi and i are IN THAT THANG!  be sure to keep up with me during BE weekend on Twitter and IG.

peace!

le

thanks & giving & food & family 2013

 i hope Thanksgiving 2013 was one to remember for you and your family.  here's what we did:

who eats like this on Thanksgiving Eve? sammiches and sushi @ Central Market.  it wasn't as crowded as i expected AT ALL. is it weird that i wanted it to be?

lemon ricotta pancakes for the boy.

on TG day i sped downtown to run in the traditional Turkey Trot 10k and left Sonny and Chi in our nice, warm, comfy bed :(

  this is THE coldest weather i have ever run in. ever. 32 dang degrees. the Chevron Houston Marathon in January isn't even this cold!!!!

so because of the dip in temp earlier that week, i switched from the 10k to the 5k y'all. keepin' it real. i believe i have become one of those people who like cold weather but hate being cold.

 i met up with some bodybuilder and UH alum friends afterwards.

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS RUN ALONE!!!! thanks for that, Charlene ;) 

plate # who even knows from later that evening! each one was sampler style so i could get a little bit of everything of course.

always good to see and hang with my beautiful cousins!

Q: how many places did you visit on TG day? 2 for us- my MIL and then Grandma's house.

le

twosday

what? two posts in one day!? don't thank me, thank Chiso :lol:

he actually stays put when i put his Elmo movies on these days, so that gives me a little mo time to post some stuff.

how was your workout today?  i loved this the second i saw it:

you're the boss, Applesauce!

you make the schedule and determine workload.  if you keep working away on that ginormous stack of papers on your desk, it will start to dwindle, eventually.  equate that to living a healthier lifestyle (or weightloss/gain/maintenance) - the results WILL come with a little consistency!  some days you'll do more work, some days you won't do nearly as much.  and that's ok.

 first early AM class of February has been taught, BOO-YAAAAAAH!  afterwards, i stayed behind and did a few weight circuits, solo.

there's #crotchsweat, and then there's good ol' #bootysweat!

after that,  i came home and made these babies...........

Peach Branberry Coconut Cakes.

this is another 'cardio creation'! i thought of this on the elliptical last night and almost made them when i got home cause i didn't wanna wait!

i hope the new flavor combo is appreciated cause yall know i could eat banana pancakes EVERYDAY :shock:

i've been using organic oat bran instead of oatmeal these days!  why? more fiber, more protein, and it's cheaper by the pound at my store.  i've seen it used in other recipes and decided to give it a try myself.  it can be found in the bulk bins at HEB and/or Whole Foods for sure, but if your grocery store doesn't have a 'bulk' area, i'm pretty sure it's sold in the box on the shelf too.

i haven't had blueberry pancakes in a good while.  #satisfied

here's another recreated Central Market salad fave from last night:

dill, cucumber, tomato & feta salad

the stuff:

• 2 sliced cucumbers
• 3 chopped roma tomatoes
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar OR juice of a fresh lemon if ya don't have any
• 2-3 tbsp fresh chopped dill
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp liquid aminos
• 2 tbsp garlic and herb goat cheese
• 1 heaping tbsp 0% greek yogurt

do this:

chop up/slice the cucumber, tomatoes, dill and add this to a large bowl.   add everything else and MIX! you can break up the goat cheese over the ingredients.  let it sit in the fridge overnight and it'll taste eeeeeven better the next day. no red onion in this recipe.

been eating this all day today!

gnite- i know someone needed to see that as bad as i do/did. you ARE good enough!!!  believe in YOURSELF.

hollaaaaa

le

copy cat kale

i keep telling myself that all my posts don't have to be super long and drawn out every single time.  so, here's a little practice. hope you guys are having a wonderful hump day and week so far.

i enjoy looking up the recipes to some of my fav dishes.  1) to see just what goes into it and how many calories i'm taking in, and 2) to see if i can duplicate it and make it lighter/leaner.  1 bunch of kale is just 92 cents at the store right now- and people say healthy food isn't cheap!  hello! this bunch of kale lasts me about 3 days..  makes for a really huge bowl of salad.

this particular kale salad is like 4.99 a lb. at central market. i'd rather pay 92 cents. plus, they pretty much drown the kale in the dressing! way too much.

Orange Sesame Kale Salad

the stuff:

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp LIquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• crystalized ginger (optional)

do this:

wash your kale.just like any other fruit/veggie you bring home. wash it good.

then, tear it up.  i actually included some of the stems cause i like the taste and crunch.  it's not bitter like most stems either. dry the leaves as best you can- i don't have a salad spinner so i just blotted them with paper towels.

whisk the liquids together,

then set it aside.

chop up the crystalized ginger into small pieces. i like ginger, but i don't like biting into a huge chunk of it!  reminds of when i was preggo and trying to tame my nausea, ugh.  anyway, throw everything on top of the kale.

finally, add the dressing and toss.

HEB's recipe called for 2 tbsp of sugar, but i didn't use any. the orange juice provided enough sweetness.  kale is heartier and more filling than lettuce. have some.

*update*: you can throw the contents of this entire bowl in a heated wok and cook it for 3-5 minutes for even MORE flavor!!! try it both ways.

aaand we're done here. enjoy.

le